Electric cigar lighter



K 1,641,808 Sept. 6 1927' J. J. GOUGH ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER Filed NOV. 26, 1926v Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES earner eerie.

JAMES J'. GOGII, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TG CHICAGO ELECTRIC MANU- FACTURING C0., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORIORATIOIT OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC CIG-AR LIGHTER.

Application led November 26, 1926.

My invention relates to currentconsuming appliances of the general class in which the current is used intermittently, such as electric cigar lighters.

Generally speaking, my invention aims to provide an appliance construction for such purposes in which the inner parts can be assembled as a unit before they are inserted in the casing` of the appliance, in which the casing can e assembled from parts of various conijgurat-ion, and in which the attaching of the assembled insert portions to the casing serves to hold the casing parts assembled and alsoholds the insert portions in their operative dispositions.

More particularly, my invention provides a construction in which the holder i'or a detachable current-consuming device (as for example for the heater tip :tor an electric cigar lighter) is securely connected to the circuit wires, the movable switching member and an anchoring member before the resulting assembly is inserted in the casing of the appliance, in which the casing includes a plurality of intertitting parts provided with interengaging shoulder formations, and in which the attaching of one of these casing parts to the said anchoring member secures all parts of the appliance improperly assembled disposition. .A

Still further and also more detailed objects will appear from th-e following` specilication and from the accompanying drawing, in which F ig. l is a centra-l, vertical and'longitudinal section through an electric cigar lighter embodying my invention.A

Fig. 2 is a `reduced elevation of the inserted parts (excepting the push-button),

`showing these parts as they are initially assembled.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged central and vert-ical section of the detachable yheater tip shown as part of the embodiment ot' F ig. l.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the heater tip, drawn on the same scale as Fig. 3.

In its immediate commercial applications, my invention is particularly suited for electric cigar lighters of a portable typ-e ,suitable tor use on a. table or desk. Hence I am illustrating anddescribing such an em- Seral No. 150,842.

bodiment, although my invention might ob viously be employed for other purposes by substituting some other current-consuming device for the detachable heater tip of this tion l. This base portion has its upper end contracted to form a cylindrical tube 1A and to atiord an upwardly direc-ted annular shoulder 6 at the juncture of thistube with the main and downwardly flaring part of the said base portion.

he intermediate tubular part 2 `has its lower end telescoped over the tube it and abutting against the said shoulder,'while the upper end of the part 2V telescopes over a lower tubular portion 3A of the uppermost tubular part (or head) 3 and Vabuts upwardly against a larger diam'etered annular portion of this head part 3. The lshoulder iormedby the ljuncture of the tubular part 3A with the bottom oit' the larger diametered main portion or the hollow-head 3 also ai"- ffords an upwardly directed annular seat 4 for engaging an annular insulator 5 which `serves to space the metal shell 6 of a socket l' vor holder from the housing or' inyv appliance.

The socket shell 6 comprises a. tube equipped at its upper end with the usual bayonet slots 2' for interlocking with anchoring pins 8 on a heater tip, and this tube l has'a peripheral bead Sbelow the said slots and engaging the top oi. the insulator 5 when my appliance is assembled. Fastened to the socket shell 6 and extending downwardly from it as a rigid metallic extension ot this shell is a metal bracket l0 which is secured at its lower end to an insulating bar ll. A resilient metal contact 'member V12 is fastened at one end` to the .insulating bar l and has its other end normally spaced trom the bracket l() but adopted to be pressedy against this bracket by a push butico ton 13 which extends through a lateral pertoration 88 in the intermediate tubular part of the casing.

One circuit wire 14 is connected to the stationary arm of the resilient contact member 12, which is the movable switching member ot my appliance, so that the metal socket shell will be electrically connected to the wire 14 when the push button is pressed inwardly ot the casing, thereby also conn-ecting this wire electrically through a. metal collar 15 ot the heater tip to one end ot the high resistance wire 16 ot this heater tip.

The companion circuit wire 17 is connected to the terminal18 ot the socket which contacts with the axial terminal 19 of the heater tip, to which axial terminal the other end ot the resistance wire 16 is connected. This socket terminal 18 is here shown as extending through and clinched to an insulating disk 2Oy which slidably fits the socket shell. A companion insulating disk 82, also slidably lits the socket shell 6 and normally seats at one side of the upper end oiI the bracket 10 and at the opposite side on an inwardly directed linger 21 formed upon the socket sliell. A compression spring 86 interposed between the insulating disks 2O and 82 continuously urges theupper disk 2O upwardly, so as to press the wire terminal 18 against the axial terminal 19 of the heater tip. v

Both of the circuit wires 14 and 17 kextend through a lateral aperture in the tubular casing ot my appliance, which aperture is desirably bushed by an insulating lierrule 24 and is here shown as vformed in the downwardly flaring base portion 1. The two circuit wires preferably are looped into a knot 28 inward of a terrule 24, which knot engages the bore of the said errule, so as to prevent an outward pull on the circuit wires from straining the connections ot the wires to the switching member and the axial socket terminal.

The lower end of the tubular base portion 1 is formed into an outwardly directed radial flange 25 engaging the edge portion of a bottom plate 26 which desirably has an upwardly directed annular boss 87 'formed on it radially inward ot the said flange to center the bottom plate' with respect to the said base portion. Extending upwardly through this bottom plate is a screw 27 which is threaded through the toot 28 ot an anchoring bar 29 secured to the insulating bar 11. rl`he length otthis anchoring bar 29 is such that the screw 27 when drawing` the foot 28 toward the bottom plate 26 will draw the bead 9 on t e socket shell downwardly, so as to` clamp the insulator 5 against the annular shoulder on the intermediate tubular part 2 of the casing. 1n doing this, the single screw 27 not only secures the socket and switch assembly within the casing, but also holds the interlitting parts 1,

2, 8 and 26 in firmly assembled relation. Then the parts are thus assembled, the metal bracket 10, the insulator 11 and the anchoring bar 29 constitute a rigid anchoring structure which not only secures the intertltting parts in their assembled relation, but also holds the socket securely within the casing, and which anchoring structure carries the switching member.

ln manufacturing this appliance, the socket and switch parts (with the exception or the pushbutton are tir-st assembled andl connected to the two circuit wires as shown in Fig. 2. rl`hen the pushbutton 18 has its outer and smaller diametered part slipped through the aperture 88 from inside the base portion 1, and the outer ends ot the kwires are drawn through the top of the relatively superposed three casing portions, after which the bottom plate 26 and the screw 27 are attached as above described.

As a desirable heater tip construction, I am here showing this as including an insulating body 28 (of lava or the like) which has an axial bore 89 and a radially enlarged head 8O provided on its upper face with a spiral groove 81. The lower part ofY the said insulating body includes a second enlargement 82 upon which the conducting collar 15 is clinched, and this collar is iormed to provide the anchoring kpins 8 which interlock the heater tip with the bayonet slots 7 of the socket. The high resistvance wire 16 has its major portion formed into a spiral coil disposed in the groove 81. One end of this wire extends through the axial bore 29 and is secured to the axial terminal 19, while the other wire end extends through alined bores in the enlarged head 8O and the lower enlargement 82 ot the tip body and is clinched to the insulating body by the conducting collar 15. A mica disk 88 provided with a plurality of pertorations rests on the top oit' the spiral coil portion ot the high resistance wire and is held in position by an upper collar 84 spun over the head 80.

To prevent the edge of the metal bottom plate 26 from scratching any surface on which my appliance is seated l desirably cement a telt disk 85 to the lower tace of this bottom plate andl preferably extend the anchoring screw 27 through an upwardly formed central boss 26A on the bottom plate, so as to dispose the head ot' the screw above the surface on which my appliance is seated. By making the anchoring bar of such a length that its toot 28 will be above the boss 26A ot the bottom plate when the parts are assembled, l secure the desired rigid assembly without requiring high accuracy in the proportioning oit the various parts which are disposed between the bead 9 of Y the socket shell and the base plate.

However, while I have illustrated and described the appliance of my invention in a type adapted for use on a horizontal surface and including numerous desirable features, I do not wish to be limited to the details of construction 'and arrangement above described, as many changes `might be made without departing either from the spirit of my invention or :trom the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an electric appliance of the class described, an upright tubular casing; a socket insertible in the casing from the upper end of the latter; means interposed between the socket and the casingv for relatively insulating these parts and for limiting the downward movement ot the socket in the casing; an insulator supported by the holder and'extending below the latter within the casing; a switching member mounted on the insulator and movable into and out of contact with a conducting portion of the socket, the switching member having an actuating portion projecting laterally through the casing; and anchoring means interposed between the insulator and a part of the casing for drawing the insulator downwardly.

2. In an electric appliance ot' the class described, a tubular casing; a socket insertible in the casing from the upper end of the latter; means interposed between the socket and the casing for relatively insulating these parts and for limiting the downward movement ot the socket in the casing; an insulator supported by the socket and extending below the latter wit-hin the casing, a switching member mounted on the insulator and movable into and out ot contact with a portion of the holder, the switching member having an actuating portion projecting laterally through the. casing; a bottom plate engaging the bottom portion or' the casing; and anchoring means interposed between the insulator and the bottom plate, for drawing the insulator and socket downwardly and tor drawing the bottom plate upwardly against the bottom portion of the casing.

An electric appliance as per claim 9., in which the anchoring means comprise a member secured at its upper end to the insulator, and a screw extending upwardly through the bottom plate and threaded into the said member.

4t. In an electric appliance of the class described, a tubular casing; a socket insertible in the casing from the upper end of the latter; means interposed between the socket and the casing for relatively insulating these parts and for limiting the downward movement of the socket in the casing; a bottom plate fitting the lower end ot the casing, an anchoring structure interposed between the socket and the bottom plate for drawing the latter upwardly and for drawing the socket downwardly, a switching member carried by the anchoring structure and projecting through the casing, and circuit connections respectively leading to the switching member and to a part of the socket.

5. An electric appliance as per claim 4, in which the casing includes a plurality ot intertitting parts having relatively interengaging formations for limiting the extent of their int'eritting, and in which the anchorf ing assembly operates also to clamp the said interengaging formations against one another so as to hold the casing parts in rigid assembly. Y

6. In an electric appliance of the class described, a. tubular casing; a socket insertible in the casing from the upper end thereof, the socket including a metal socket shell and a terminal disposed within and insulated from the shell; means interposed between the socket shell and the casing for relatively insulating these parts and tor limiting the downward insertion of the said shell in the casing; a metal member secured to the socket shell and extending downwardly from the latter; an anchoring member secured to a lower portion ot the casing; an insulator inlh lterposed between the metal member and the anchoring member; a switching memberv mounted on the insulator and movable into and .out of engagement with the saidl metal member; and circuit connections leading ree spectively to the switching member and of the said socket terminal.

7. In an electric appliance, of the class described, a current consuming device, a metallic holder for the saiddevice, a tubular casing having an interior shoulder spaced from its upper end, an insulating washer seated on the shoulder and fitting the holder to support the holder and to insulate the holder from the casing; a conducting me'mA 'ber secured to and extending downwardly Jfrom the holder, an insulator secured to and extending downwardly from the conducting member, a wire terminal mounted on the insulator, a second wire terminal disposed 'within the holder, means for insulating the second wire terminal from the holder and tor continuously pressing the second wire ter- 'minal against the current consuming device, y Vswitching means interposed between the conducting member an-d the first named wire terminal, and means for anchoring the insu-` lator to the casing.

8. An electric appliance of the class described, including a tubular casing having a lateral aperture and an assemblage insertible in the casing from one end thereof; the saidV assemblage including in rigid assembly asocket, means interposed between the socket and the casing for limiting the insertion of the said assemblage in the casing; and means for anchoring the assemblage in such limited inserted disposition; a switching member carried by the said assemblage, and a pair of conductors extending through the aperture and connected respectively to the switching member' and to a portion of the socket; the conductors being adapted to be secured to have their said connections made While drawn through the aperture and out through the said end of the casing, and before the said assemblage is inserted in the casing.

9. An electric appliance of the` class described, including a tubular casing having a Lateral aperture and an assemblage insertible in the casing from one end thereof; the said assemblage including in rigid assembly a socket, means interposed between the socket and the casing for limiting the insertion of the said assemblage in the casing; a pair of conductors extending through the aperture, one thereof being directly connected to a part of the socket, and a switching member connected to the other conductor and adapted electrically to connect the latter to another portion of the socket; the said assemblage including a rigid part secured to the casing by the anchoring means and also including an insulator fastened to the said rigid part and supporting the .switching member.

lO. An electric appliance of the class described, including a casing composed of relatively superposed and interfitting portions lia-ving intcrengaging formations limit the extent of their interiittiiig; a socket disposed rvit-liin the uppermost casing portion and insertible in the latter from the upper end thereof; means interposed between the socket and the uppermost casing portion for limiting the downward movement of the socket in that casing' portion; and connections fast upon the socket and detachably secured to thc loivermost casing portion for drawing the socket against the said interposed means and for holding the said fornia tions on the easing portions in inter-engagement.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, November 22nd, ieee.

JAMES J. G-oUG-H. 

